Secrets
by nancy nickerson
Summary: FINALLY updated! chapter 9! Frank and Joe are visiting Nancy when Nancy discovers a HUGE secret about herself while they solve a case! secret 4 revealed!
1. Chapter 1

1**Secrets by nancy nickerson **(original title Still Sweet Sixteen, but I changed at the last second)

**Story Summary:** Nancy, Frank, and Joe solve the murder of one of Nancy's best friends while Frank and Joe visit River Heights. Nancy discovers a huge secret about herself when a mysterious stranger shows up. This takes place about 5 months after my first story, The Meeting. This will probably be around 20 chapters long.

**New Characters:** Jake and Troy (Nancy's cousins, Jamie's two sons) ; Laila Nickerson (Ned's 17 year old sister, one of Nancy's best friends) ; Sarah Calfur (Troy's girlfriend, one of Nancy's other friends) ; Alisa Johnson (you'll have to wait to find out who she is) ;mysterious stranger who you will have to wait to find out about ( : More new characters could show up at any time.

**Disclaimer:** Everyone except the new characters I introduce are not mine. Trust me.

**A/N:** Here's my new story! Told you it'd be up before the new year. I've always thought it was kind of weird that Nancy didn't have any relatives other than Aunt Eloise...I mean, even though Elizabeth died, she still had to see her family, right? I also thought it was strange that the only real friends she had were Bess, George, and Ned. So I decided to give her more friends and relatives, who you can count on showing up in all of my stories. I also decided to give her a part time job. Also, to those of you who haven't read my first story, The Meeting, it might help you clear up some things if you did. Wow, this is like a page of opening remarks! Whatever, enjoy!

**Chapter 1**

**Visiting **

"Okay guys, I have to go pick up Frank and Joe at the airport now," 17 year old Nancy Drew said to three of her best friends, Bess Marvin, George Fayne, and Laila Nickerson. The four had slept over Bess' house Friday night and now Nancy had to leave to pick up 17 year old Frank and 16 year old Joe Hardy, who were visiting River Heights, Illinois, from Bayport, New York. The three had met when Nancy was an exchange student and had solved a mystery concerning Nancy, who was being stalked, and her mother, who had been murdered 14 years before. Nancy had visited them in Bayport since then, but this was the first time they were visiting her and she couldn't wait.

"K," George said. "Are we all still coming over to your house tonight to watch movies?"

"Yup," Nancy confirmed.

"Oh, guys," Laila interrupted. "I can't make in tonight, I've got a date, but Ned got back early from college for the summer yesterday, so he told me to tell you all that he's coming, too. And one of his friends from college is coming over, too."

"Who is he?" Bess asked.

"Not sure," Laila said. "Ned just told me to tell you that one of his friends is coming too. I guess you guys will meet him tonight, and I'll probably be meeting him eventually."

"Great!" Nancy said, looking at her watch. "I'll see you all later, but I really have to go," she said, grabbing her bag and running out the door.

"Bye!" the girls chorused.

Nancy jumped into her blue Mustang convertible and drove toward the River Heights airport, thinking about all the things the she and the Hardys would do while they were in town. She would have to show them all the hangouts, Chicago, restaurants, her dad's office, the place where she worked, and, much as she hated to go there during the summer, her high school.

As she turned into the airport parking lot, she thought more about school. She couldn't believe she was a senior this year! She was actually the youngest of her friends, since she had a summer birthday, and should only be going into 11th grade this year, but she had started school a year early. She didn't know if she would go to college yet, but it was definitely a possibility. Maybe she would join the police force, or even open a private detective agency. That would be cool- except for the fact that her father would probably want her to go to college.

She was driving around, looking for a spot, when she saw Frank and Joe waiting at the entrance. She glanced at the clock and saw that she was 15 minutes late.

"Hey guys," she said, pulling up in a parking spot that she saw just a few feet away from the exit. She climbed out, went over to them, and hugged them both. "Welcome to River Heights!"

"Hey Nancy," Frank said. "It's great to be here."

"Yeah," Joe agreed. "We came outside thinking it might be easier to find you out here."

"You were right, too," Nancy said, leading them to her car and opening the trunk so that they could put their bags in. "We'd better get going, because we have a lot to do before tonight."

"What's tonight?" Joe asked, climbing into the backseat while Frank got in the front.

"And what do we have to do before then?" Frank asked.

"Well," Nancy said, starting her car and pulling away. "I'm going to take you on a little sightseeing, just to some local places, and then everyone's coming over to my house for movie night."

"Who's everyone?" Frank asked.

"Bess and George, I've told you about them before, maybe my neighbor Nikki, but I'm not sure, because she thought her aunt and uncle may be getting into town today. Um, Laila, my other best friend, can't come because she's got a date, my cousins, Jake and Troy, Ned, and he's bringing some guy from his college who's visiting, or so Laila's told me." Nancy named the people as she put in a CD.

When Joe heard the music, he grimaced. "Shania? You listen to country?"

"On occasion," Nancy said, grinning. "And you'd better learn to like it, because Laila is addicted to it, and whenever she's at my house, she's gonna be listening to it."

"Great," Frank said sarcastically. "Just great."

"Okay then, what do you guys listen to? And just so you know, I don't listen to it all the time. I listen to other things a lot more."

"We listen to everything but country," Joe said.

"Oh, so you guys listen to opera then?" Nancy asked. Frank and Joe just rolled their eyes. Just then, Nancy pulled up in front of an office building. "Here we are," she announced, pulling up in an empty slot.

"Here?" Frank asked.

"My dad's law firm," Nancy said, pointing to a sign reading 'Drew Law Offices.' "I work here sometimes when my dad gets overloaded with cases- along with my other job, at Sam's."

"What is Sam's?" Joe asked.

"It's just kind of a hangout," Nancy said. "It's also a restaurant, but a lot of people go there for dancing, too," she explained while signing in the register at the front desk. "We can go see Dad right away," she said, leading them to an elevator.

"This is my office," she said, opening a door on the second floor.

"You have your own office?" Frank asked.

"Yeah. Sometimes I come here after school to do homework. Or if I have a research project, I research in the firm's huge library on the third floor, and then get all my notes together in here. I'm just altogether here a lot. My dad got tired of me being in his office all the time, so he gave me my own. I decorated it myself."

The chairs had black cushions with red pillows that went with the red walls. A glass-topped desk sat at one end. On it was a charger for a cell phone, a mug full of pens and pencils, a desk lamp, and a clear space, probably for a laptop. Posters of various singers and bands were up on the walls.

"Let's go introduce you to my dad," Nancy said, leading them just down the hall to her father's office. She tapped on the closed door twice.

"Who is it?" her father's voice came out through the door.

"Me, dad," Nancy replied.

"Come on in," Carson Drew told her.

"Hey Dad," she greeted walking over to give him a hug. "Dad, I want you to meet Frank and Joe Hardy. Frank and Joe, this is my dad, Carson Drew."

"Nice to meet you," Frank and Joe said, each shaking his hand.

"Nice to meet you, too," Mr. Drew said. "Nancy has told me so much about both of you, it's great to finally meet you."

Frank looked around the office. On the desk was a picture of a younger Mr. Drew, with a little girl, probably Nancy, about 3. A woman with blue eyes and blonde hair was also in the picture. "Is that your mom?" he asked, pointing to the picture.

"Yes," Nancy said smiling. "6 months before she died," she said, her smile fading. When she had just gotten to Bayport, Nancy and the Hardys had solved a case, and in the process of doing so, found her mother's real murderer. It had been hard on her and her dad, with the new trials that were taking place, more publicity, and just the overall pain of Elizabeth's death being brought up again.

"You look just like her," Joe complimented, comparing the picture of Elizabeth Drew to Nancy."

"I tell her that all the time," Mr. Drew said. "Except for her hair. Who knows where she got that from. Now I've got to get to court, so you three can go to Nancy's office or something."

"Actually, Dad," Nancy said. "I was going to take them to Sam's then run by Blockbuster to get some movies for movie night, and then go home."

"Okay then. I'll see you around 10, I've got a late business dinner."

"K," Nancy said walking out to the elevator. When the elevator stopped at the first floor, they got out. Carson went to his car, and Nancy, Frank, and Joe went to her car and drove off into the light afternoon traffic.

**A/N:** Well here's chapter 1! I know the ending isn't so great, but I couldn't figure out how to put a cliffhanger in the first chapter when the case isn't even introduced until chapter 2. Plus I just wanted to give you all a sense of what was going on. I know, I know, I told some of you it wouldn't be up until tomorrow, but I'm not gonna have a chance tomorrow, so I figured you all wouldn't mind if it was a day early! I've given up Quote of the Day and am now moving on to NASCAR fact of the day. I love NASCAR, it's my favorite sport.

**NASCAR Fact of the Day: **The first Daytona 500 was held on Daytona Beach, Florida on February 22, 1959. 39 NASCAR Grand Nationals and 20 Convertibles started the race, with 41,921 spectators looking on. #73 Johnny Beauchamp was initially declared the winner, but spectators closest to the finish line said that #42, Lee Petty had won. NASCAR president Bill France said the film would have to be studied, and more evidence came that showed Petty was the winner. On Wednesday, February 25, 61 hours after the race had ended, photos came in, and Lee Petty was declared the official winner!

**REVIEW! XOXO Lillie**


	2. Chapter 2

1Secrets

Chapter 2

Movie Night and a Call

**A/N:** **Sorry this update took a while, but school started again two Tuesdays ago, and I've been loaded with homework, plus I had 5 tests on Friday and have just been overall busy these past weeks. But anyhoo, hopefully this week won't be so bad, and I'll be able to update twice a week. But I hope I make up for not updating by making this one long! If you wonder why Nancy's house is like it is, it's because her father is a famous lawyer. So, I just took the fact that all the stories say her dad is a famous criminal attorney and hypothesized that she was rich. o0o, big word, hypothesize, lol. Read and review!**

**Disclaimer: Most of these characters are not mine. Neither are 'Dark Water' or 'The Notebook.' However, Sam's is mine, as are Jake, Troy, Sarah, and Alisa.**

"Well, this is Sam's," Nancy told Frank and Joe, leading them into a fairly large room.

Against the walls were tables, and in the center was an open space for dancing. The latest hits were blaring from a radio set on a local music station. Up some stairs was a platform where the DJ played music at night. A few people were sitting at the tables, and some were dancing, even though the real dance session didn't start until later. "What do you think?" she asked them, waving to a few of her co-workers.

"I like it," Joe said. Frank nodded in agreement.

"How often do you have to work?" Frank asked.

"I work four nights a week during the school year, but I work more in the summer because it's busier. And I mostly work at night since not much goes on here during the day. But I'm taking my week off this week so I can hang out with you guys. Well, you saw it, so let's go," Nancy said, leading the m to the door.

"Aw, do we have to go?" asked Joe.

Nancy laughed. "Don't worry Joe. You can come back tomorrow after Sarah's sweet sixteen party."

"Who's Sarah?" Joe asked.

"My cousin Troy's girlfriend. We go to school together and even though she's a year younger, we're all really good friends," Nancy explained.

"Should we get her a present?" Frank asked as Nancy pulled out of employee parking.

"Nah," Nancy said. "You can just sign your name on mine if you'd like." A few minutes later, they pulled up to Blockbuster. "What do you guys think we should get?"

"How 'bout 'Dark Water'?" Joe suggested.

"Okay," Nancy said, picking up a copy. "Since this one's supposed to be scary, we should probably get something not so scary...how about 'The Notebook?'"

Frank and Joe groaned. "Not a chick flick," Joe said.

Nancy laughed. "Oh come on. 'The Notebook' is a great movie. And besides, Joe picked a horror movie, which Bess might just be horrified of, so I'm picking one that she'll like."

Frank and Joe reluctantly agreed.

"Good," Nancy said. "Now let's go to my place and you two can meet Hannah."

A few minutes later, they were pulling up to Nancy's huge colonial style house. There was a long driveway that made a circle up the front, with a few lampposts stationed here and there, creating a mansion effect.

"Nice house," Frank said.

"Yeah, I guess," Nancy said. "It's been in my family for 200 years, but my dad had it renovated 2 years ago.

"Cool," Joe said.

Nancy just smiled, as they got out of the car and went to the front door. "Hannah, we're here!" she called out as she opened the door.

"I'm in the kitchen!" Hannah called back.

"Hannah," Nancy said, talking to the woman of about 50 with slightly graying hair. "These are Frank and Joe Hardy. Frank and Joe, this is Hannah Gruen."

"Hello Ms. Gruen," Frank said.

"Please, call me Hannah. Everyone else does."

"Okay Hannah," Joe said.

"Now," Hannah said, now looking at Nancy. "Some friends and I are going out tonight, so you all will have the house to yourselves. There's snacks in the pantry, and don't destroy anything. You remember what happened last week when Jake and Troy were over."

"I remember," Nancy said.

"What happened?" Joe asked.

"Oh, nothing," Nancy said, a mischievous smile on her face.

"No really, what?" Joe asked again.

Nancy just shook her head as Hannah walked to the closet, pulled on her coat and opened the front door. "Goodbye! Nice meeting you, Frank and Joe!"

"Bye Hannah!" the three chorused. A few minutes later, the doorbell rang.

Nancy went down the hall and opened the door, Frank and Joe following her. Upon opening it, she saw it was Jake and Troy. "Hey guys!" she said, hugging them both.

"Hey Nancy, and whoever you two are," Jake said. He was tall, with brown hair and piercing green eyes and always had a mischievous grin on.

"Jake, Troy, this is Frank and Joe Hardy," she said pointing to them each in turn. "Frank and Joe, these are my cousins, Troy and Jake Milan."

"Hey guys," Troy said. He had blonde hair, but had the same piercing green eyes as his brother.

Just then the doorbell rang again. This time it was Bess and George. Once again, Nancy introduced them, and then said. "Why don't you all go down to the basement while I order pizza?" she asked, practically pushing them to the door.

As they walked down the steps, Troy asked, "What's with Nan? She seemed kinda eager to get rid of us."

"Ned's coming and she probably doesn't want us all hanging around when she sees him for the first time in like, 3 months," Bess explained.

"Oh," Jake said, joining the conversation. "You know, for some reason, I never really liked him."

"Jake, you're just too protective of her. You should be glad he's not a jerk," George said. And Jake had to admit she was right. Nancy was the youngest of all of his cousins and she was really more like his sister than his cousin. He just didn't want the long-distance thing with Ned to hurt her. But George was also right about Ned, too. He _wasn't_ a jerk. He was actually a pretty cool guy.

Back upstairs, Nancy had ordered the pizza and was peeking out the foyer curtains to see him as soon as he got there. When the doorbell rang, she ran to answer it.

"Ned!" she cried, about to hug him. But then she saw a girl standing just behind him and her smile faded. I- uh- didn't know you were bring a guest," she said lamely.

"Nancy, this is Alisa Johnson," Ned explained. "We go to Emerson together, and she's spending the summer here with her aunt, so I offered to show her around and include her in some stuff." As the stepped inside, Nancy studied Alisa. She was tall and pretty and blonde and skinny as anything. Nancy noticed that she was grasping Ned's arm like she needed to use it to hold herself up. She felt instantly jealous and instantly hated herself for it.

"Oh, well, that's great," she said unenthusiastically. "Um, nice to meet you Alisa."

"Nice to meet you, too Nancy," Alisa said with a slight Southern twang.

"So...why don't we- or you two- go down to the basement with everyone else while I wait up here until the pizza man comes."

Back downstairs, Bess and Jake saw Ned and Alisa coming down the stairs. "Who's she?" Jake whispered to Bess.

"I don't know. Do you think Ned's- no, he would never _ever_ do that."

"I have no clue, but if he is, he's gonna be sorry he ever met Jake Miran," Jake said, his former fears coming back to him. But Ned _would_ be sorry. Jake was one year older than Ned, played football, baseball, and basketball in college, like Ned, but was at least an three inches taller than Ned.

"Look at the way they're looking at each other," Bess pointed out as Ned sat down. Alisa sat down very close to him. "Or rather, the way _she's_ looking at _him_. Ned just looks kinda uncomfortable."

Frank and Joe had also noticed what was happening. "Isn't that Nancy's boyfriend?" Joe asked.

"I think so. But who's she?"

"No clue." Just then Bess, Jake, Frank, Joe, Troy, and George all received an IM chat on they're cell phones from Nancy.

**IM conversation**

Nancy: guyz?

Joe: whatz up?

Nancy: what r they doing?

Bess: snuggling up on the couch

George: no, shes trying to, he looks all funny

Nancy: who the crimety does he think he is showing up at my house w/ her? i mean look at the way shes looking at him.

Jake: i c

Frank: who is she even

Nancy: alisa johnson. she n ned go 2 college 2gether, n shes visiting her aunt or wtvr in river heights, he told her he wood show her around n include her in stuf

Troy: did u even no she waz coming

Nancy: no! do u think theyre going out secretly or wtvr? caz if the r, theyre gonna b sry they ever met nancy elizabeth drew

Troy: chill nan. we dont no that yet. we'll tell ned u want 2 talk 2 him upstairs. k?

Nancy: good idea. thatll get her away from him

**End Conversation**

"Ned," Troy said. "Nancy wants to talk to you upstairs. She just texted me. She, uh, didn't want to call down because Togo is asleep or something."

"Ok," Ned said, getting up.

"I'll come, too," Alisa said.

"No," Troy interrupted. "She wants to talk to him alone."

"Oh," Alisa said as Ned started up the stairs.

"What is it Nan?" he asked once he'd reached the kitchen where she was sitting at the table, looking out the window.

"What's the story with Alisa?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean! She was looking at you like she was totally head over heels, you never mentioned she was coming. Are you two going out or something? What is wrong with you?"

"What is wrong with me? What's wrong with you? She's new in town and I thought we could all be nice and let her join us. We were kind of out once, but I-"

"Ok, just stop," Nancy said, holding her hand up. "How could you?"

"Nancy, we were studying and-" Ned started, but the phone interrupted him. Nancy went to answer it, listened for a few seconds, and her face went white. "Nancy?" Ned asked. "What is it?"

"TROY!" Nancy called at the top of her lungs.

"Yeah?" Troy asked, pounding up the stairs, everyone trailing him.

"Sarah, she, she was, she was murdered!" Nancy stammered.

**A/N: o0o, how'd you like that one? 6 pages! I can't believe I've had all these hits to this story already, but only 5 people reviewed! So pleeease review, anonymous reviews ARE accepted!**

**NASCAR Fact of the Day: Richard Petty has exactly 200 wins in his career and he retired in 1992. He and Jeff Gordon only raced against each other once. It was Petty's last race before retiring, and Gordon's rookie race. They both ended up crashing out. **


	3. The Crime Scene

1Secrets

Chapter 3

The Crime Scene

**A/N: I looooove you guys! The day after I put chapter 2 up, I got some ah-mazing reviews that really got my spirits up. The way the people were reacting to the chapter was so incredible, it showed me they were getting into it. I mean, when someone tells you they hate a character, to me that's like wow, because that's what I was trying to get across, that she's not a very nice person. They were HUGE compliments because it showed that I achieved what I've always wanted to: I made a character believable! Wow, this is still like, beyond comprehension to me. I'm so excited! So read and give me some more of those enthusiastic reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I guess Santa can't give Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy characters as present, caz I didn't get any. **

Nancy drove as fast as the law allowed to the Calfur's house, with Ned, Troy, and Joe in

the car with her. Bess, George, Frank, Jake, and Alisa were following in George's car.

After their fight, Nancy hadn't been very enthusiastic about them riding in the same cars, but as they were getting into their cars, Bess had pulled her aside. She told her that they had heard the argument from downstairs and that it would probably be best if Ned and Alisa were _not_ in the same car. Since Nancy, obviously, didn't want Alisa in the same car as her, she opted to take Ned with her.

"I can't believe it," Nancy said aloud, her voice trembling slightly. Her eyes were watery and she wanted to cry so much, but she had to push that away. Chief McGinnis had been on the phone and had given permission to Nancy to investigate, even though he thought she should take some time to mourn. But Nancy couldn't mourn for her friend. Before she could, she had to find the killer. Because then she would know that the killer was behind bars, not running loose. Because then she would know that a tiny bit of justice had been served. Justice would never be served, at least in Nancy's eyes. Nothing could bring Sarah back. "Sarah was my friend, you know? And now she- she's gone, just like that.

"She was my girlfriend," Troy said, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Oh God," he continued, as though the thought was finally sinking in. "My girlfriend's dead."

"It's gonna be alright Troy," Nancy assured him. "We'll find out what happened. We'll find out who did this."

By then they had pulled up to the Calfur house and were looking for Chief McGinnis, just as George pulled up. Marked and unmarked police car were lining the street in front of the house. The yellow crime scene tape was strung across the lawn. It felt strange and foreign to Nancy. She had seen it many times before, but not at a close friend's house. A house that she was at frequently, a house she had gone to so she could play dolls as a child. A house where secrets had been swapped during junior high, a house where there had been many, many sleep-overs. The house where Nancy spent a few days at after her mother's death, a time when her father couldn't take care of himself, much less his young daughter. This time it would be different.

"Excuse me," Nancy said to an officer. "Do you know where Chief-" but stopped mid-sentence when she saw Chief McGinnis. "Chief? Could you tell us what happened. My cousin, Troy, you know, was her boyfriend."

"Hello Nancy," McGinnis greeted her, managing a slight smile. Lowering his voice a little, he continued. "Sarah was stabbed right in her heart. No fingerprints, notes- nothing is there- except Sarah. Her housekeeper that comes in once a week let herself in, came into the room to start cleaning, and saw Sarah. Thankfully she hadn't start cleaning yet, or we might have lost some fingerprints- not that there were any," he muttered under his breath.

"Mind if I look around?" Nancy asked.

"Be my guest- but tell me if you find anything, and wear these," he said, throwing her a pair of gloves.

"Oh, and Chief?" Nancy asked.

"Yes?"

"Could Frank and Joe Hardy, two of my friends who are visiting from Bayport, New York, look around with me? They're detectives, too," Nancy requested.

"Sure, as long as they know what they're doing," the chief allowed. "There are more gloves in that box over there for them. And that's all the people I'm allowing on the scene, ok? I know all of your friends have helped you out before, but we've already got a lot of people in there, and I don't want it too crowded, got that?"

"Yes and thanks," Nancy said, walking over to the box he had pointed to. She pulled two pairs of gloves out and tossed them to Frank and Joe. Turning to the others she told them they should probably just wait right out here, or else McGinnis might get angry at her.

The three went inside the house and went into her living room. Sarah's body was lying on the sofa. She gasped at the sight of it and was relieved that the others, especially Troy, hadn't been allowed to come in. The remote control to the tv was still in her hand and two glasses of water were on the coffee table by the sofa. "No murder weapon to be seen," Nancy commented. "Think it's still on the grounds, or did they take it with?"

"Probably took it with," Frank decided.

Joe meanwhile, had been looking at the lock. He walked back over to Nancy and Frank and told them, "The lock wasn't picked."

"So it was probably someone Sarah knew," Frank deducted. "Someone rang the bell, Sarah let them in, offered a glass of water, and the two came to watch tv."

"Hey," Nancy said, stopping an officer. "Do you know around when the murder took place?"

"Only about an hour ago," he said, immediately going back to his work.

"And look," Frank said, pointing to the love seat. "You can tell someone was sitting there recently."

Nancy nodded, but Joe had gone off to the kitchen, where he saw a small knife rack. It was able to fit five knives, but only had four of the slots had knives in them. "Hey guys," he said, calling Frank and Nancy over. He showed them the knife rack and then checked the dishwasher and sink. "Not in there," he said. "It's the middle one in the rack. I'd bet that it's the murder weapon."

"What about that?" Nancy said. She was inspecting one of the drawer handles. "See how they're all pointed? Well look what caught on this one."

"A piece of fabric," Frank said.

"Yeah. Feels like cashmere," Nancy said. "Cashmere in Kelly green. Sorta like that ugly sweater Alisa was wearing tonight. I bet the murderer came over here to get a knife and the shirt caught on the handle."

"I don't know," Frank said. "Maybe Sarah or her mom or dad was wearing cashmere and it got caught."

"No," Nancy said. "Sarah didn't like cashmere for some weird reason. Once we were at the mall and Bess wanted her to get this sweater but Sarah just said she hated cashmere. She wouldn't tell us why. Second, Sarah's dad isn't a cashmere kinda person. For him it's just suits or a t-shirt. Third, her mom...well her mom is like-against fashion or whatever, so she dressed in all these t-shirts and ripped jeans. No cashmere in her closet, I can tell you that. So it has to be the murderer's."

When the three told Chief McGinnis all they'd found, he praised them for their work. "Great job guys. I don't know how my men missed all that. I guess I'll have to send them all back to training," he said, raising his voice so that the men could hear him. "It's getting late and we're about ready to pack up, so why don't you all go home? And welcome to River Heights Frank and Joe. It was nice meeting you two."

"You too Chief," Frank said.

"Same here," Joe agreed.

By the time they got back to Nancy's, it was still only 9:30. "So," Alisa said, once they were all back inside the house. "Let's watch a movie."

"I don't really feel up to it," Troy said.

"Neither do I," Nancy agreed. Everyone else was just looking at Alisa as if she was out of her mind. Their friend had just been murdered, and she wanted to watch a movie?

"Oh come on you guys," Alisa goaded. "You'll get another girlfriend Troy. And Nancy, seriously, it's not like you don't have other friends. And you've seen murders before- this isn't any different."

"No Alisa, it is," George interrupted. "Troy loved Sarah- and they were perfect for each other. And this time it _is_ different for Nancy. She knew her. I mean, really knew her. She was part of our group."

"Then why wasn't she here tonight?" Alisa challenged.

Bess jumped in. "Her parents were going to hang out with her tonight, since tomorrow's her birthday and-"

Alisa cut her off. "Where were they?"

"They work late," Troy explained. "They own a restaurant that's open till 8:30 and they spend the next half hour cleaning up. On a regular night, they'd be getting home right about now- it's a half hour drive, and since McGinnis called them, they were probably getting there right after we left."

"Ok, whatever," Alisa said. "But I mean, it's still only one person. I mean, you would have lost touch with her one way or another."

"What is wrong with you?" Nancy asked disgustedly. "Sarah was one of our best friends. She's irreplaceable to us. How would you feel if one of you best friends died?"

"And someone else was acting like you were?" Frank put in.

"What kind of people aren't sad when someone died?" Joe added.

"Why don't you tell us that Ms Alisa Johnson?" Jake challenged.

Caught in a trap, Alisa just gave a slight smile and said. "I'm sorry. I'm not usually like this. When something bad happens, I always start thinking weird for some reason. And that's the truth."

Everyone, even Ned looked skeptical.

**A/N: I know, weird place to end a chapter, but I had to separate this and what happens next, so I just kind of ended it there. But anyhoo...when I was typing that last sentence, I got de jeu vu.** **What is Alisa's problem? Find out in later chapters! Read and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

1Secrets

Chapter 4

Late

**A/N**: Thanks for your reviews and keep 'em coming!

**Disclaimer:** Ok, ok, who wants to sell the Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys characters to me? Caz I'll pay however much you want!

"Somehow I don't believe you," George commented

"Yeah? Alisa asked flippantly. "Well, you should, cause it's the truth."

"Maybe in your little make-believe world, Alisa, but not in our's," Nancy declared.

"Now wait a second," Ned interrupted. "Give Alisa a break. We're all-well-not used to it-but we've-adjusted-well, no-you know what I mean-even though this is a million times worse. But this is Alisa's first time around a murder-or any kind of crime for that matter."

"You're right Ned," Nancy decided. "But only about this being a million times worse. But Alisa shouldn't be so snobby about it."

"Snobby?" Ned asked. "I think I know more about Alisa than you, Nancy, and one thing she isn't is snobby." Ned paused before he said the last word and there was a hint of indecision in his voice.

"Oh, yeah, right, I forgot," Nancy said, her voice rising. "You guys have been on dates before and spend ALL your time together. So why don't you tell us more about Alisa, huh? Why don't you?"

"Come on Nancy," Ned argued. "Don't give me this. Just because Alisa came with me tonight-"

"Well what am I supposed to think when my boyfriend shows up at my house with some girl hanging off of his arm? How would you feel if I showed up with-Danny at your house?"

"Oh I knew there was something going on between you two- you are such a-hypocrite!"

"Hey, you two," Jake interrupted.

"Shut up Jake," they said simultaneously.

Nancy continued, "Ned, I do not have anything going on with him. I have never cheated on you ever, but I had a feeling about you."

"Come on Nancy. This isn't because Alisa came tonight. You have a problem with me being at Emerson and you being here."

"Ok then, I admit it. Apparently, you've got girls hanging over your shoulders at Emerson, while I'm stuck here _without you_. Do you have any idea at all what that's like for me," Nancy looked as though she were about to cry.

Ned instantly regretted their fight. He hadn't meant what he said and he knew she didn't either. "Nancy, please listen to me," he said desperately. "My professor asked me to tutor Alisa and somehow-it just-"

"Turned into a date?" Jake asked, turning to Ned with anger in his eyes. "How could you do that to her?"

"Jake, I-"

"Get out," Jake said his eyes steely. "Get out of here, and never _ever_ do that to her again."

"Please, let me-"

Jake pointed to the door.

Ned knew that Jake meant what he said-he always did. He'd call Nancy as soon as he could. "Come on, Alisa, I'll drive you home."

"Ok," Alisa consented, following him to the door. She gave the rest a dirty look as she went out.

When they were gone, Nancy sunk down to the sofa. "I'm sorry you guys had to hear that. I don't know what got into us."

"I think I do," Jake said, walking over to the sofa and sitting down next to Nancy. "Nan, you and Ned have been together for a long time, but Ned is at college now. I think you want a boyfriend that's here for you. Tell you what- we'll find someone for you to go out with- to get the ball rolling."

"Yeah Nance," George put in. "I mean, we all like Ned, but if he's gonna treat you like this..." her voice trailed off.

Bess joined in, "And I know tons of guys that would love to go out with you from school."

"But I don't want to lose him," Nancy confessed. "Why do you think I get so upset about other girls? Not because I'm trying to pick a fight, but because I don't want him to leave me."

"Excuse me for saying this, Nancy," Frank started. "I don't know Ned that well, but from what I've seen tonight, I have to wonder if he's always like that."

Everyone looked at Nancy expectantly. "No," she said. "It's not always like this. He's incredibly nice and sweet- and- I don't know. I'll have to talk to him."

Not to long after, everyone had left, Mr Drew and Hannah had come home and had gone to their bedrooms. Joe, Frank, and Nancy were sitting at the kitchen table talking about the case. Nancy seemed a little distant though, so Frank asked her about it. "What's wrong Nancy," he asked gently.

"I'm just thinking about Ned-" Nancy explained. "I think I'll call him," she glanced at the clock. "It's 11:30. Do you think it's too late to call him?"

"It's never too late to make up," Joe assured her.

Nancy smiled at him, grabbed the phone, and went into the living room for privacy.

As soon as she left the room, Frank elbowed Joe and asked, "What did you do that for?"

"What did you elbow me for?" Joe asked, pretending his arm was hurt.

"What did you encourage her for? You know what we all thought about them!"

"Well excuse me," Joe said sarcastically. "But it really doesn't matter what you all think. It matters what Nancy and Ned want. And even though they didn't show it today, I believe Nancy when she says he's normally a good guy. Don't think I don't know what's going on here. You don't want them together because you have a thing for Nancy. Well let me tell you here and now Frank. It's not gonna happen. I know, I'm your brother and all, and I want the best for you, but you need to face reality. If the long distance thing doesn't work for them, the even longer distance isn't going to work for you. And what about Callie?"

Frank paused. "I- I don't know what you're talking about Joe. And-you've never been so completely wrong in your life," he lied.

"Uh huh," was all Joe said.

Meanwhile, Nancy was in the living room, dialing Ned's cell phone number sp that she wouldn't disturb his parents, little brothers, Matt and Sam, or Laila.

"Hello?" Ned asked when he picked up the phone.

"Hey Ned. It's Nancy."

"Oh. Listen Nan, I wanna talk to you- I didn't mean those things I said and-"

"Neither did I," Nancy said. "Listen, why don't you come over tomorrow, and we'll talk face to face."

"K. I was just about to call you, by the way, but I didn't know if it was too late."

"That's what I was thinking, but Joe told me it could never be too late," Nancy said with a slight laugh.

Ned laughed too. "Thank him for me. So what time tomorrow? 8?"

"Sounds good."

"Ok. See you then. Bye"

"Bye." they hung up.

"How'd it go?" Frank asked.

"Alright. He's coming over tomorrow at 8. And he said to thank you, Joe, for telling me to call him," Nancy relayed the message.

"No prob," Joe said, casting a smug glance at Frank.

Nancy yawned. "Well I'm tired. I'm gonna go to bed now. After Ned comes over, we'll brainstorm the case. I'll make a list of people we need to call."

The three said their goodnights and went to bed.

The next morning, Nancy woke up at 7:15. She walked over to the window and went to open it. She looked at the lock and saw an envelope taped to it from the inside. She opened it carefully and pulled out a typed letter. If it was a threat, it sure was different- normally she just got a short note- but this was a whole letter! She looked at the front of the envelope. On it were typed the words "TO NANCY DREW." She began to read the letter.

Dearest Nancy Drew,

Hello, how are you? Miserable, I presume. First your dear friend is murdered and then you and your precious boyfriend break up. Yes, I know about that. I've been watching you, Nancy. I've also done some research on you and it seems you're quite the detective. Well let me tell you a few things. First off, I know you're trying to get back together with your boyfriend, but it's not going to work. He hates you now- I've been watching him, too. Secondly, I admit it- I murdered Sarah. So let's play a little game. I was going to say 'You stay out of this and no one else will be murdered-by me anyways' but I know you're not going to listen to that, so here's the game- you find out who I am and you win and I will probably go to jail. But that's not going to happen, because I _guarantee_ that I will win. And if I win, you, your boyfriend, your cousins, those Hardy boys, plus Bess, George, and Laila, and your dad and your housekeeper will all be _dead_. So watch your steps- and your moves- and the Hardy's moves- in this game, or you're all as good as dead.

BEWARE,

Murder Babe

P.S. Don't take it for granted that because I've decided to call myself murder babe that I'm a girl- I could just be doing that to throw you off track. But then again, I could just be playing psychology with you and I really am a girl. Or maybe not. But that's for you to figure out.

**A/N: **lol, I know, the letter is kinda cheesy, but the short, one sentence notes get a little old after a while. And the P.S.- maybe I'm just playing psychology with you all- trying to throw you on- or off- track. I love reverse- or whatever it's called- psychology- I use it all the time on my friends and it drives them insane. But anyway- my birthday's Sunday! 14, I'm so excited! But back to the subject of this story- hopefully, I will update again by next Wednesday, and now that you've obviously read it, review it! XOXO Lillie


	5. Chapter 5

1Secrets

Chapter 5

Conversations

**A/N:** This chapter is really short, but it's incredibly important, because secret number one will be revealed- I promised it would be in chapter 5, didn't I? But, unfortunately, you only get a little taste of the secrets in this chapter- the whole explanation will be in the next chapter. Oo, read my disclaimer, I'm trying to be very creative with them, so that they're not so dreary and dull and negative. I'M 14! I'm doing the coolest thing in my language class. We get to solve mysteries! What it is, there's these mysteries, and in the mysteries there are 4 suspects. Each suspect kind of says facts in part of their interview and we have to look up what they say and see if it's true or not. If what they say isn't true, they're guilty of the crime. It's sort of just a way to get us to practice our research skills before a research paper we have to do next quarter, but hey, a mystery's a mystery! We have to do a certain number of them by the end of the quarter and there are 3 levels- easy, intermediate, and hard. I'm working my way up to hard. Ok, I'm gonna stop rattling off now, but it's just so cool!

Disclaimer: You want the truth? You _can't handle_ the truth. But I'll tell you anyway. I know you all think they are but-_gasp_- they're not mine! The truth has been revealed. So, could you handle it?

Nancy quickly read the letter again. She knocked on Frank's, then Joe's door, and told them to come downstairs to the family room immediately. Hannah had gone to the bakery and her father had an early meeting. She went to her room and started to put on baggy sweats but then remembered Ned was coming over in 45 minutes. She ended up wearing tight, slightly faded jeans and a sleeveless, green, v-necked shirt that went well with her hair and brought out the blue in her eyes. She brought down her make-up kit so she could do her make-up while talking to Frank and Joe. When she got downstairs, Frank and Joe were already there.

"What's this all about Nan?" Joe asked mid-yawn. "And can we eat? I'm starved."

"Sure, come to the kitchen and I'll find something," Nancy offered.

While Frank and Joe ate microwave pancakes, Nancy showed them the note, explained how she'd found it, and read it to them. When she was done, Joe stopped mid-bite. "They wrote a whole letter?" he asked. "We usually just get notes."

Nancy nodded. "I normally just get notes, too, but this person probably knows that and wants to stand out."

"I'd think that murdering one of your friends would do that," Joe commented wryly. Frank nodded in agreement.

"Oh, I made up that list of people we should talk to. There's really not that many. Sarah's group at school was pretty much us. And some other people in her grade. We'll have to see if

any of them noticed anything different with Sarah. I'll call them and get them to come over ASAP and we can bounce some ideas off of each other. We should also talk to Sarah's parent and her-" Nancy was cut off by the phone. "Hello?" she answered it.

"Nan? It's Laila. Ned just told me about Sarah? Is it true of is he just foolin?"

"No fooling. It's true."

Laila let out a little sob. "I can't believe it! Sarah's just gone."

"I know. But we're gonna find out who did this. Can you come over today around nine-ish? I'm gonna call everyone else and maybe we can brainstorm a little."

"K. Nance, how bout I call them? Ned told me what happened and you might want to get that out of the way first so you can fully concentrate on Sarah."

"Thanks Lail. See you later."

"Right back at ya babe. Bye."

"Bye." Just as Nancy hung up, the doorbell rang. "That must be Ned," she said as she walked over to answer it. But it wasn't. Instead, standing there, was a man wearing a black hat and coat. "Hey. Do you mind me asking who you are?"

"Nancy," he said, taking off his hat to reveal reddish blonde hair, much like Nancy's, cut in a crew style. "I'm your father."

**A/N:** Caught you by surprise there, didn't I? Lol, I think most of this chapter was author's notes! But I promise the next one will be much longer! Review!


	6. Daddy Dearest?

1Secrets

Chapter 6

Daddy Dearest?

**A/N:** Hey. I know, I'm soooo bad- I haven't updated in weeks! But I had a literature project due Friday, and I had 2 read a book for it and all and then write the report, so I haven't been doing much else! So terribly sorry! Is there such a word as shell-shocked? Cause as I was typing this, I put that word in, but then it sounded really weird to me, cause I'm like what do shell and shocked have to do with each other. It also just sounded strange- shell-shocked. It's just weird. But I kept it in because- I don't know why, I just did. But seriously, is it a word? Oh, and keep this in mind. What if there aren't any coincidences?

Disclaimer: Keith and Nurse Kellie are the only things in this chapter that are mine. Everything else- well, they will be mine someday, but not at this current point! Oh, and the quote at the end is not mine either- or the movie it's from either.

--------

"What!" Nancy asked, completely dumbfounded.

"I'm- your father," the man repeated himself. "May I come in?"

"Sure," Nancy said hesitantly, opening the door wider. "But you're not my dad. Carson Drew is."

"Nancy, why don't you let me explain? Can we sit and talk, please?"

"Wait here a second," she said, leaving him there and heading to the kitchen. "Guys," she said to Frank and Joe. "I need to have a little privacy, so could you maybe stay out of the living room? And when Ned gets here, tell him I'll talk to him as soon as I can."

Frank and Joe glanced at each other before turning back to Nancy. "What's this all about Nan?" Joe asked.

"I wish I knew. I really do," Nancy said before walking to the man and leading him to the living room. "So, what's your story?" she asked once they'd sat down on two chairs.

"First off, my name is Keith Winslow. I'm 39 and from New York City," he told her, pulling out his driver's license to show it to her.

Nancy took a close look at it and then at Keith, comparing the pictures. "Okay, I believe you," she said, nodding.

"I'm not exactly sure how to say this, but I'll just get to the point. Your mother and I were having an affair."

"What?" Nancy interrupted, shell-shocked.

"Me and your mother-"

"I know what you said, I'm not stupid, but- what?"

"Well, uh, not long after your parents were married, I came to Elizabeth about a case concerning my brother. It was a time-consuming case and we had to spend a lot of time together. One thing led to another, Carson was away a lot of weekends, and, well, you get the picture."

"I can't believe it- I mean, my mother. But...how do you know you're my dad?" Nancy asked.

"After a couple of months, Elizabeth came to me and told me she was pregnant and that she was pretty sure the baby was mine. After you were born and Carson was away on another business trip, we got a test done, and, sure enough, I was you father. I'm not sure what we would have done about it, but I left. After we found out, I packed my things and hopped on the next plane to New York."

"So now, after 17 years, you're just showing up? Why? Wait," she interrupted herself. "I know you! In Bayport, you- you were the man on the sidewalk! The one that called the police!"

He nodded. "I was in Bayport for a work convention. I'm a history teacher by the way. I saw you get kidnaped. I didn't recognize you as my daughter at the time, but I called the police. I didn't want my name mentioned, so I just hung up. Later, as I was watching the news, the name came up that I knew my daughter had. So I did some research and found out that you were the only daughter of Elizabeth and Carson Drew. I was devastated to learn that Elizabeth had died, so I decided to come see you. It's taken me all these months to get the courage."

Nancy nodded thoughtfully. "Does my dad- er, Carson Drew, know about this?"

"I'm not sure," he was about to continue but stopped when Nancy got up, walked to the phone and called Carson Drew's law firm.

"Dad?" she said when he answered. "We need to talk."

"Nancy. Sweetie, what about?"

"Why didn't you tell me? Did you even know?"

"Nancy, slow down. Tell you about what?"

"That you aren't my real dad." Nancy could feel the hurt, anger, and betrayal boiling up inside of her.

Carson sighed. "How did you find out?"

"There's a man here who says he's my dad. Did you know?"

Carson let out another sigh. "Yes, I knew. When you were about two, your mother came to me and told me the whole story. I was angry at first, but I still loved you- and Elizabeth. Even though you weren't my biological daughter, you were still _my_ daughter. I raised you. And I love you more than _anything_ in this world. You have to believe that."

"When were you going to tell me?" Nancy asked quietly.

"Honestly? Never. I didn't want you to have to go through that pain. I was _never_ going to tell you."

"How could you?" Nancy asked before hanging up on the man who had raised her.

"So I guess you really are my dad," Nancy addressed Keith after giving herself a few moments to chill out. "But I want more proof."

"I'd be happy to go for another blood test," he offered.

"Okay, then, let's go," Nancy said, walking into the kitchen, where Frank and Joe were still sitting and told then she had to go out. "When the others get here, tell them I'll try to get back soon," she said, walking out the door with Keith before they could ask her any questions. Just as they were stepping outside, Hannah was coming up the porch steps, having just got back from the bakery, and Ned was pulling in the driveway at the same time.

"Nancy? Where are you going?" Hannah asked.

"I'll explain later," she said as Ned walked over to them. "Ned," she said, grabbing his arm. "You come with me."

Ned glanced at Keith. "Where to?"

"I'll explain in the car," she said, dragging him to her car. Nancy got in the driver's seat, Ned in the passenger seat, and Keith in the back.

As Nancy pulled out of the driveway, Ned asked, exasperated, "Now will someone please tell me what's going on?"

"This man- Keith Winslow- says that he's my father. I called, um, my dad, and he said he knew he wasn't my biological father. So now we're going to the hospital to get a blood test done to see if he's my father," Nancy explained.

Ned looked shocked. "For- for real?"

Keith spoke up, "Yes, for real. I've spent the last seventeen years just wondering, wondering if it really happened, wondering if it was all just in my head. Wondering how Nancy was growing up."

"So," Nancy paused, looking for something to say. "Do you have a family," she finally asked awkwardly. She didn't know whether she wanted the answer to be yes or no.

"I've been married about to years. I don't have any children though- except you- but you know what I meant. My wife, though, has an eighteen year old daughter from a previous marriage.

"Nancy nodded. "Where's your wife? What's her name?"

"Isabel. I told her about this and she was angry, but she finally let me come. She's still in New York, but she might fly out tomorrow, if you want her to. So why don't you tell me about yourselves. You two are going out, right?" he asked, referring to her and Ned.

Nancy glanced at Ned. They had yet to make up their fight from the other night. Ned finally spoke up, "Yes, we are."

"For the last two years," Nancy added.

"You go to River Heights High ,right?" Keith asked, "That's where I went," he added.

"Yeah. Ned goes to Emerson College. It's about a two hour drive from River Heights. He's on summer break now, but he's studying political science," Nancy said as she pulled up in front of the hospital. The three climbed out and walked to the entrance, where Keith went up to the nurse at the front desk and explained why they were there. She pointed to some chairs and gave Keith some paper work for them to fill out.

"Thanks," he said, leading Nancy and Ned to the chairs. Keith sat on one side of Nancy, Ned on the other. Keith began filling out his part of the paper work and Ned whispered to Nancy, "So, you wanna talk?"

"Yes," Nancy said, looking straight at him. "I'm sorry," they both said in unison.

"You go first," Ned said.

"No, you," Nancy smiled at him.

"OK, then. Well, one of my professors asked me to tutor Alisa because she hadn't been doing well in that class at all. I agreed and Alisa and I decided to meet in the library twice a week. We'd been doing that for about a month when she suggested we start meeting at this cafe on campus. It seemed okay to me, so we went with that. On the first week of that, she started acting funny- acting like we were dating. One day, she tried to kiss me. I said no, that I already had a girlfriend. I should've just stopped tutoring her then and there," he paused, shaking his head. "But my professor insisted- said that no one else would and that I was her only hope. Then she came to an Omega Chi party. She hung around me the whole time and I couldn't shake loose! She tried to kiss me again and this time I told her I couldn't tutor her anymore. Well that was that. I didn't see her anywhere other than class for a long time. Then she came to me, told me she was going to River Heights for the summer and practically begged me to let her hang out with us. She promised that she wouldn't pull any more stunts like that. I'm sorry. I should have at least told you she was coming," Ned finished sheepishly.

"It's ok," Nancy said, taking his hand in her own. "And I'm sorry too-"

"For what?" Ned asked.

"I shouldn't have reacted like I did. I was- just- just so jealous, and I hate feeling that way, but I couldn't help it. Seeing you and her- I just wanted to explode!"

Ned smiled. "It's alright. I probably would have reacted the same way if I was in your position." he leaned down and gave Nancy a long kiss. Nancy smiled to herself as she kissed back. With all that was going on, at least one thing was back to normal- her and Ned. She hated fighting with him and was relieved it was just a huge misunderstanding.

"Nancy?" Keith interrupted, clearing his throat. "Can you fill out the rest of this paperwork?" he asked, handing her the clipboard.

"Sure," she said, taking it from his hands. She finished filling it out, gave it to the nurse, who called them into another waiting room ten minutes later.

"Who'd like to go first," the nurse, who identified herself as Nurse Kellie, asked.

"I will," Keith volunteered.

"Ok then. Wait here please," she said to Nancy and Ned as she led Keith into another room to test his blood.

"What are you going to do?" Ned asked once they'd left. "About everything?"

"Well, after I find out if Keith is my father, I'm going to concentrate on Sarah's murder. Then I'm going to work this whole mess out- which I have no clue how I'm going to," she answered, leaning into his shoulder.

He put his arm around her, pulled her closer, and commented, "It's going to be hard "

"I know," Nancy sighed.

Just then, Nurse Kellie and Keith came back into the room. "Ms. Drew," Kellie said. Nancy stood up and followed Nurse Kellie down the stark white hallways to and examining room. There was a counter with a mat on it and two chairs and a small table in the tiny room. "Sit on the mat. I'm going to clean a spot on your arm and draw only enough blood for us to be able to test it. Alright?"

Nancy nodded. She was anxious to find out the truth and only winced a little as she was pricked. Kellie cleaned the wound and stuck a small bandage on it. "All set," she said. On the way back to Ned and Keith, she dropped the blood samples in the lab and took Nancy the rest of the way. "You can just wait here. It shouldn't take too long to get the results and then

Dr. Kleinberg will come in and let you know," she said before leaving the room.

The three of them made idle chatter for nearly half and hour before a young man who couldn't be older than thirty came into the room.

"Mr Winslow? Ms Drew?" he asked. When they nodded, he went on. "I'm Dr Kleinberg, he said, shaking all three people's hands. "I have the results of your tests."

**A/N: there you go. Sorry to leave you hanging, but I had 2 build up MORE suspense. Betsy- lol, haha, I wasn't even thinking that when I put that in! Yeah, yeah, you like it caz ur an ah-mazing singer and are gonna b n opera star on day!**

"**Why'd you wanna marry me anyway?"**

"**So I can kiss you any time I want."**

**-"Sweet Home Alabama**" (the movie)


	7. Chapter 7

1Secrets

Chapter Seven

Back to Business

**A/N: Here's chapter seven! Hold in there till chapter 8, I need to finish writing it in my notebook first before I type it. Ok, ok, I have a whole list of reasons why it took me so long to update, and I honestly don't believe that anyone really cares, but I'll tell you anyhow! I had a bunch of projects due this past month, my sister got engaged and I'm a bridesmaid, so we've been working on that, my school play was two weeks ago so I was practicing that and all, my band concert (I play clarinet) is really soon, and I've been practicing a lot. Italy knows I practice like a gazillion hours a day, right Italy? Plus I had standardized testing, so I was really tired and all and even though I had off this week, I had to spend 15+ hours at the mall (on two separate days) looking for a graduation dress. Among other things. But anyhow R&R (and no that does not mean rest and relaxation, it means READ AND REVIEW!) Kiss kiss, love u guyz!**

_Disclaimer: Well, as much as I'd like to say they are, they are not mine in any way, shape or form. Other than Keith, Laila, Jake, Troy, and the Calfurs that is._

ND&NN 4EVER

The young doctor smiled again before continuing. "Mr. Winslow, you are indeed Ms. Drew's biological father."

Nancy buried her head in Ned's shoulder as the doctor walked away. Her whole world was falling apart right before her eyes. Ned pulled her into a tight hug. "It'll be okay baby," he whispered into her hair. "We're gonna get through this together."

"I know. I just- I don't know what to do!" she sobbed into his shoulder, each sob making her whole body jerk.

Meanwhile, Keith was standing awkwardly to the side. He didn't quite know what to do now that Nancy knew he was her father. But her had to start somewhere- even something small would help. "Nancy, I think we should talk."

Nancy looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Yes, we do." She glanced at the clock on the wall and saw the time. "But not right now," she continued, wiping her eyes. "It's nearly nine and we need to meet the others. But we will talk- as soon as this mess is over."

"What do you mean?" Keith asked. He knew this must be a shock to her, but he didn't know about the other problems she had going on in her life.

Nancy stood up, her hand clasped in her boyfriend's. "One of my friends was murdered last night." She went on to tell him that she was a detective and was looking into the case.

Keith wanted to do something for her. Hug her, pat her on th back, reassure his daughter that everything would be alright. But he didn't think she was ready for that yet. So all he said was "I'm so sorry Nancy."

Nancy nodded as they headed out of the hospital into the warm June air. It was a beautiful day, but she was too distressed to notice it. Not much else was said until they got back to Nancy's house. "You can come in if you'd like," Nancy invited.

"If that's okay with you," Keith agreed as Nancy unlocked the front door. A few other cars were parked in the driveway and street by now so Nancy figured everyone must have gotten the message.

"Guys?" Nancy called into the house.

Laila's head popped out from the living room. "Hey Nance," she said, heading toward the three. When she got there, she hugged her brother and then Nancy. "I can't believe this."

"I know. It's all-" Nancy pulled back, tears threatening to take over again. "Lail, let's all go to the living room. I have to tell you all something.

"K. Everyone else is her already," she announced, heading back to the living room.

"Everyone," Nancy said when she, Ned, and Keith had joined them in the room. "I'd like you to meet my father, Keith Winslow." Everyone just stared at her expectantly, waiting for an explanation. Nancy just sighed and told them the Keith had told her not much earlier. "Now," she said once she was finished. "We need to concentrate on Sarah. Can anyone think of anyone who would possibly want to kill her?"

"I remember a few years back," Bess spoke up. "Her father owed theses guys a lot of money. He paid it back, but they wanted more, so they started stalking him. The police finally caught him and one of the guys swore he would kill Sarah to get him back."

"That's right, Bess!" George exclaimed. "Steven Douglas, I think his name was. I read in the paper that he was just released too."

Frank and Joe listened quietly, but closely. "This is a good start. Bess, why don't you call Chief McGinnis and see what he knows about this?" Frank suggested.

"Right on it," she agreed.

"What about extended family?" Joe piped up. "Should we talk to any of them?"

"There was no extended family, at least that I know of," Nancy commented. "She was an only child of only children."

"There was her father's ex-wife and half-sister," Troy mused aloud.

"What are you talking about?" Nancy asked curiously. "She never told me about them."

"I was the only one who knew," Troy said, shaking his head. "But Mrs. Calfur really was Sarah's real mom, even though Mr. Calfur was married before. His ex-wife had a child, I forget her name, who's about three years older than Sarah. Sarah saw her half-sister and her dad's ex-wife once a year with her dad and she didn't like them at all. Apparently the ex-wife got remarried because Mr. Calfur didn't have to go anymore. There was some conflict with Mr. Calfur's ex-wife not wanting things to get complicated."

"Why didn't she tell any of us?" Laila asked.

Troy shrugged. "Don't know. I think she just didn't want people to talk about it or make it a big deal or anything like that "

Ned nodded. "That's understandable."

"So," Jake said, standing up. "Maybe we should look into this family."

"I agree," Frank declared. "So let's call Mr. Calfur and get some info."

Jake nodded. "And I'd like to help, but if I'm late for work one more time, I'm gonna lose my job, so I'd better get going. Nice meeting you," he said to Keith, reaching out his hand.

Keith shook his outstretched hand. "You too."

"Troy," Nancy began once Jake had left. "Why don't you call Mr. Calfur? You probably know him the best, plus you're the only one who really knew about his ex."

Troy just nodded and went to the phone Bess had finished with a few minutes ago. "Chief McGinnis said they'd already known about Steven Douglas. They brought him in and interrogated him, but they couldn't hold him," Bess reported.

Joe nodded. "I think I'd also like to talk to Douglas. Did McGinnis tell you what he said?"

"Nah," Bess shook her head. "I think he was going to, but something came up with another case, so he had to go. Something about a Ricky Samuels," she added, as if an afterthought.

Laila's head perked up. "Ricky Samuels?"

Bess nodded. "Yeah. Why?"

Laila looked baffled. "He was my date last night. I wonder what he could've done."

"You've gone out with him before, haven't you?" George asked.

"Yeah. We've kinda sorta a little bit been going out for about a month now."

"I don't think mom and dad would like you going out with a criminal," Ned said, a smirk crossing his face.

"Gee, thanks Ned, just go snitch on me now," Laila shot back.

Ned held his hands up in surrender. "Hey hey, I won't rat you out. I never have, have I? Unless of course, it was something _really_ bad," he smiled.

Before Laila could say anything else, Keith cleared his throat. "I need to be going now. Nancy, I think you should meet my wife and stepdaughter. Plus we really need to talk. How's tomorrow night, as long as you're not too tied up? Ned can come, too."

"K." Nancy said. "I'll call you. What's the number?"

"I'll give you my cell. Got any paper?"

"Here," Nancy said, handing him the message pad that had been next to the phone, along with a pen.

Keith wrote down the number, ripped off the sheet, and handed it to her. "Here," he said. "You can reach me at this number any time of day, but just in case, I'm in room 213 at the Clarion just outside of River Heights."

Nancy nodded, walked Keith to the door, and said goodbye before joining the others once again. By this time, Troy had finished on the phone and was waiting to deliver his news. "I got nothin," he said right away. "I called him at home and, luckily, he was there. We talked for a couple minutes about Sarah, then I asked about his ex-wife and daughter. He shut up real fast, made some lame excuse for why he had to go, and hung up."

"Hmm," Frank mused. "I can see why he would be reluctant just telling anyone about that, but I wonder if he's told the police. It could be important to solving his daughter's murder."

Nancy nodded. "I'll call Chief McGinnis again later, when it's more likely he'll be in." Just then, the doorbell rang. "I'll get it," she declared, heading to get the door. It was Alisa.

"Hello," she said, a too-sweet smile on her face.

"Oh, hi," Nancy said awkwardly. "Uh, come on in," she said, opening the door wider. She walked over to stand by Ned, who put his arm around her shoulders. Nancy, in turn, put her arm around his waist. Alisa just put on a pouty little smile, closed the door, and walked over to join the rest of the group.

"Oh, Ned," she began in a dramatic voice. "That you so much for the ride home last night. I _really_ appreciated it."

Nancy raised her eyebrows and glanced at Ned, who smiled uncomfortably. "It was nothing," he insisted.

"So Nancy," Alisa began. "How is this silly little detective thing of your's going?"

Nancy gritted her teeth. "Oh, you mean the 'silly little detective thing' investigation of the 'silly little murder' that happened just last night? Splendidly, just splendidly," she said sarcastically. "I mean, it was only one of my _many_ friends and she can _easily_ be replaced."

Alisa's smile faded and she turned back to Ned. "Ned," she said, placing a hand on his chest. "Remember when you said we could go to club Ace one night? Let's go tonight."

"I really don't think tonight's gonna be good. Nancy's gonna be busy and-"

"The fewer the better," Alisa said, arching one eyebrow.

Nancy stepped up to her, fists clenched. "How dare you!" she said, pushing her away. "How dare you come to my house, mock my dead friend, and then flirt with my boyfriend? Have you no decency? Get out," she said, pushing her again to the door. "GET OUT!"

Alisa shot a stony glare at them, pivoted on one foot, tripped while doing so, and then stomped towards the door, slamming it on her way out.

"That- - - witch," Nancy said. "I swear, if I see her again, it'll be too soon."

"It'll be okay, Nance," Ned said, wrapping his arm around her.

"You know," Troy broke in. "I never met her before yesterday, but her name sounds really familiar. I know I've heard it before, I just don't know where."

"Well I wish I never have to hear her name again," Nancy stated bluntly.

"Nancy," Hannah said, walking into the room. "A letter came for you. There's no stamp or address on it, so I guess they just stuck it into the mailbox."

Nancy reached for the letter. "Hey Joe," she said before opening it. "Why don't you look up Steven Douglas in the phone book. Maybe we can set up an interview."

"K," Joe said, heading toward the phone. "Oh, and by the way, I've got a plan for getting that information out of Mr. Calfur."

"Well what is it?" Frank asked.

"Tell you when I'm done here," he said, walking toward the table and picking up the large book.

Meanwhile, Nancy was in the process of reading her letter, written the same way as the first one.

Dearest Nancy Drew,

I cannot help but wonder how this detective thing is going. Being a detective, you must have met many dangerous people, and have had your life threatened on numerous occasions. But none of them have ever succeeded, have they? No, of course not, or else I wouldn't be writing this letter to you. You see, _I'm_ going to be the one to succeed. I _will_ kill you Ms Drew. And that's a promise.

Beware,

Murder Babe

**A/N: No huge flames please. Constructive criticism is always welcome.** **Thanks for reading, as always! XOXO**


	8. Chapter 8

1Secrets

Chapter 8

Two Charades

**A/N: Hey hey. I'm currently working on a oneshot which I hope to post soon, so look out for that! R & R! You guyz rock!**

Nancy just shook her head after reading the note. Ned, who had read the note over her

shoulder said, "Nan, I'm getting really worried about you. It sounds like this guy means business."

"What does it say?" Bess asked curiously, taking it from Nancy. As she read it, her face turned white before she placed it in Frank's outstretched hand. George and Troy gathered around, reading it over his shoulder.

"I agree with Ned," George declared. "You're gonna really have to watch your step from now on."

"What happened?" Joe asked coming into the room. In answer, Frank handed him the note. When he finished it, he let out a long whistle. "George hit the nail on the head. By the way, I got Douglas' number. I was thinking maybe Nancy and Ned could talk to him while me and Frank talk to Mr. Calfur, since he's never met either of us."

"What exactly _are_ these plans of yours?" Nancy asked.

Joe grinned sheepishly. "Well, I figured you and Ned could make up some sort of excuse for talking to Steven. But here's the plan for me and Frank..."

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An hour later, Frank and Joe, dressed in suits borrowed from Ned's closet and briefcases in hand, rang the doorbell to the motel where the Calfurs were staying while the investigation went on. "May I help you?" Mr. Calfur asked when he opened it.

"Yes," Frank answered in a no-nonsense voice. "I'm Samuel Fox," he said, stretching his hand out. "And this is my assistant, Kevin Fisher. We're the formal Mrs. Calfur's lawyers and she's asked us to come talk to you about the daughter you had with her."

"What, does Isabel want more child support? The girl's already in college. Or is something wrong with Liz?" he asked, concern rising in his voice.

Joe cleared his throat. "Well, no actually. You see, Isabel heard about your daughter Sarah's murder and wanted to know if it had something to do with you."

"What does that have to do with Liz?" Mr. Calfur asked.

Frank jumped in. "Isabel just wanted to know if she should fear for Liz's safety."

"Well, you tell her that she doesn't have anything to worry about, I have no idea why anyone would kill Sarah." He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "If you two are their lawyers, why are you calling them by their first names? Don't lawyers usually call clients by their last names? Whatever her last name is now that she's gotten remarried."

Joe thought fast. "My father worked with Isabel's brother-in-law. They were both pediatricians and we met at a party once. After we'd known each other about a year, she hired us as her lawyers. We've known each other so long we're on a first name basis."

"I see," Mr. Calfur gave in dubiously.

"Well, we'd better go know," Frank announced, standing up, knowing that he and Joe had found out what they had needed to find out and that things could get awkward if they stayed there longer. "Isabel just wanted us to see you personally about Liz's safety."

Mr. Calfur got up and showed them to the door. "Nice meeting you," he said as they walked out.

"You two!" Frank and Joe chorused.

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Nancy and Ned were at Ned's parent's house. They had decided to make the call to Steven Douglas there so that if he star-69ed them, he wouldn't get the Drew home, which he would most likely be familiar with. Everyone knew Nancy was Sarah's detective friend and they didn't want him to know the real reason for them calling. They had also agreed that Ned would do all the talking.

Ned dialed the number, with Nancy listening on another phone. Once. Twice. Three times it rang before the phone was picked up. "Hello?"

"Yes, is this Steven Douglas?" Ned asked.

"You got it. Who's asking?"

"Hello Mr. Douglas, this is Dave Macings, and I'm part of a small group of people doing a series of documentaries on small town criminals. We decided that River Heights would be our first stop, with all the crime that seems to go on here. We're trying to decide who should be in the documentary and you're one of our candidates. Would you mind answering a few questions?"

"A documentary, eh? Shoot."

"Thanks. First, what exactly were you put in jail for?"

"Blackmailing and stalking. Not simple 'you're being followed' stuff, but hard core, real stuff. Know what I'm talkin bout?"

"Yes sir, I do. Who was it that busted you?"

"Guy named Sam Capernelli."

"You mean the hotshot detective, from right here in River Heights?"

Steven laughed. "Not such a hotshot now, is he? Not since that Drew girl got on the scene."

Ned laughed with him. "Can't argue there," he said, winking at Nancy before continuing. "Mr. Douglas, part of our documentary will be focused on what the criminals are doing now. What exactly have you been doing since you got out of jail?"

"Not much. Trying to stay out of trouble."

"Before you went to jail, you threatened to get back at- what was his name again?"

"Calfur. Sam Calfur."

"Yes, that's it. You threatened to get back at Mr. Calfur through his daughter. Any plans for that?"

"No way. I'm not going back to that prison. And even if I wanted to, I couldn't. She was murdered the other night."

"Really?" Ned asked, acting surprised. "I didn't know that."

"Well she did. The cops had me in for questioning and everything, but I swear I didn't do it. I was real angry when I said that, but I've changed, really I have."

"Well, thank you for your time Mr. Douglas. We'll call you within the next few days if we decide to use your case in the documentary."

"That'll be fine. Thanks for thinking of me, Mr. Macings. See ya."

"Good-bye," Ned said, hanging up the phone.

"Something was weird about that," Nancy said.

"Like what?" Ned asked.

"Well for starters, he kept saying he was trying to stay out of trouble."

"What's so weird about that?"

"If I were a criminal who was approached about possibly being used in a film about crime, I wouldn't say that. I think it would make me...less interesting, in a way. I mean, I would stay out of crime, but I wouldn't go advertising it. Maybe I'd say I was sorry I did it, but that'd be it. It was like he was trying to convince _us_ that he was innocent. Besides, why would he say that he wasn't planning on getting back at Mr. Calfur through Sarah and then saying she was murdered. Especially with the whole 'I'm innocent,' thing. It would be like he was trying to throw suspicion off himself. I know I'm probably making no sense here, but do you get what I'm saying?"

Ned nodded. "Yeah, I think I do. Do you _really_ think he murdered her though?"

Nancy shook her head. "I don't know. Don't forget, there's still Mr. Calfur's ex-wife and daughter. We can't forget about them. Why don't we go back to my place to see what Frank and Joe found out."

When they got to the car, Nancy asked Ned to drive, explaining that she wanted to call Keith about dinner. "Might as well get it over with."

"Keith?" she asked when he picked up the phone. "I's Nancy. I know it's probably been a long day for you, but do you think we can do dinner tonight? Even though your wife and her daughter won't be there, we can just get to know each other better."

"Well actually Nancy, they surprised me by coming here today. They got in about an hour ago. So tonight would be fine."

"Okay," Nancy agreed. "There's a Red Brick Station on Raphael Avenue. Why don't we meet there."

"Fine with me. Around 7?"

"Sure. See you then."

"Bye Nancy."

"You too." A few minutes later Ned pulled Nancy's car up next to his, which Frank and Joe had used to drive over to the motel Sarah's parents were staying in. "I guess they're back already," Nancy said, unlocking the door. Bess, George, and Troy had left right before the other four had gone off to do their assignments.

"Hey guys," Joe called from the kitchen. He and Frank were at the table there, sharing a bag of chips and drinking sodas. "What did you find out?"

Nancy explained what had happened and why she thought it was kind of weird before asking them to relate their story.

"We found out that Mr. Calfur's ex-wife's name is Isabel. His daughter is named Liz and she's in college."

"Huh," Nancy said to no one in particular. "Joe, why don't you google them and see what comes up. In the meantime, it's 6:05 and Ned and I need to meet Keith for dinner at 7. Ned, why don't you go home and get changed and then swing by here to pick me up. You two," she said to Frank and Joe. "Can keep looking. I'm gonna go change."

"K," Ned agreed. "I'll be back in about 45 minutes." He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss before heading out the door. Just as he was leaving, Carson walked in.

"Nancy, we need to talk," he said when he saw her.

"I can't talk right now, I need to get ready to meet Keith."

Carson ran a hand through his hair. "Nancy, I know this is a difficult time for you, but we need to talk and work things out. I know you're busy right now, but promise me we _will_ talk."

Nancy gave him a half-hearted smile. "We'll talk soon. But not quite yet. I don't want to- get angry. I don't think I'm ready to forgive you just yet. But I promise we'll talk as soon as I feel ready. Now I really need to go get ready," she said, heading up the stairs. Frank and Joe had gone upstairs when Carson got home, not wanting to get between them. Before Nancy would have thought the idea of something getting between her and Carson was absurd. But now? Now so many things had changed she didn't to what to think anymore.

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A little less than an hour later, Nancy and Ned were sitting in his car outside, Nancy mentally preparing herself to go inside. She knew Keith was already here, she had seen his rental car in the parking lot. Ned leaned over and gave her a kiss. "It'll be ok Nancy. I'm going to be here to help you get through this dinner, and as you spend more time with Keith, it'll get easier."

"Oh Ned, I know. But I just- I just don't want to disappoint him, you know? This is the first time he's even really met me in years, and I don't want him to wish he had never seen me again at all. I mean- he's my dad, and I want him to like me and be proud of me."

"How could anyone not like you Nan? You're the best person I know."

Nancy smiled. "You're just saying that cause I'm your girlfriend."

"Well why would you be my girlfriend if you weren't the best person I knew?" Ned asked teasingly. He leaned over and gave Nancy another long, lingering kiss before continuing. "Now are you ready to go in?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she declared. She climbed out of the car, dressed in a short denim skirt and an emerald halter top. Ned was dressed in khakis and a red short-sleeved dress shirt. "We look like Christmas," she commented jokingly.

Ned just flashed her an adorable grin in reply as he opened the door to the restaurant for her.

"Nancy!" Keith exclaimed when they stopped at his table. "I'm glad you could come," he continued as he and the woman seated next to him stood up. He shook Ned's hand and went on. "This is my wife, Belle, everyone calls her. Lyssa will be here shortly."

"Hello," Belle said, extending her hand out to Nancy. She was about Keith's age, with dark brown hair and bright blue eyes. "Nancy, I'm so happy to meet you. Since we got in to town, Keith has told me so much about you. We are extremely happy to welcome you into the family. Lyssa, my daughter, will be very happy to have another girl her age around- if only for some of the time"

"Well I'm very happy to meet you, too, Belle. And thank you. For welcoming me into your family. This," she said turning to Ned. "Is my boyfriend, Ned Nickerson."

"Pleased to meet you Mrs. Winslow," Ned said, extending his hand toward her.

"Please, call me Belle," she replied taking it. "And I am very happy to meet you, too."

Once they had ordered, Belle ordering for Lyssa, insisting that she wouldn't mind if they started without her, broached a shaky topic. "Nancy, I know this is terribly forward of me, but what are you going to do about the living situation. I'm sure you don't want to leave River Heights, but also want to get to know your father better.'

"I honestly haven't thought about it yet. I would like to finish my senior year here in River Heights, but I may be able to stay with you during the summer before I go to college and on some holidays. Some long weekends, too. But I tend to spend them at Emerson."

"Emerson? Is that where you go to college, Ned?"

"Yes it is. I'll be a sophomore next year."

"Are you thinking of going to Emerson, Nancy?"

"I am in fact. I haven't given it a whole lot of thought yet, but I'll probably have to start thinking about it early in the school year."

Belle nodded. "My daughter will be a sophomore at Emerson this coming year." She looked up. "In fact, here she is now."

Nancy turned around, following her gaze. There she saw Alisa Johnson.

**A/N: **Ooooo, what's Nancy gonna do nooooooow? R&R!


	9. Chapter 9

1Secrets

Chapter 9

Disclaimer: Not mine.

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"Oh. My. God," Nancy said when she realized who Alisa was.

"Hello darling," Belle said, indicating for Alisa to sit down. "Nancy and Ned, this is my daughter, Alisa. We call her Lisa though."

"Yes, we've met," Nancy commented dryly.

"Oh, good then," Belle said delightedly. "I won't have to make any more introductions then. Lisa, Nancy is Keith's daughter, don't you know."

Alisa's face dropped. "You mean we're- I'm gonna have to–_live with her_?"

Keith broke in, sensing the tension between the girls. "Alisa, we ordered for you."

"Thank you, Keith," Alisa said coolly. It was obvious there was no love lost between the girl and her stepfather.

"So how do you three know each other?" Belle asked.

"Oh, Ned and I go to Emerson together. We've gotten very close since we met."

Belle chuckled, as if used to her daughter saying things like that. "So I see."

"I wouldn't exactly say cl-" Ned began before being cut off by Alisa.

"Oh, Ned, don't be modest. You know how you spent all that time _tutoring_ me."

Nancy stood up. " I need to use the ladies' room," she said, leaving without waiting for anyone to reply. She walked quickly to the restroom and stared at herself in the mirror, fuming at the nerve of that girl. Her back stiffened when she heard the door open and the woman's reflection in the mirror.

"You can't win, Nancy," she said in a sing-song voice. "My daughter wants your boyfriend and won't stop until she gets him. And she _always_ gets what she wants. You can probably see that. You're a smart girl. So just step aside, save yourself the heartbreak. Because if you and Alisa are going to be seeing a lot of each other now, it depends on you whether its pleasant or hell for you. So what'll it be?"

Nancy spun around to face her. "You know what, I don't have to take this! Ned and I-" she stopped when she saw what Belle was wearing. With her jean skirt, she had on a kelly green cashmere sweater. And there it was, a rip just above her right hip! "Why were you at Sarah's house the night she died?"

The blood drained from her face. "Why was I what?"

"That sweater. We found a piece of it in the kitchen."

"But Sarah was murdered in the family room. Just because I was in the house doesn't prove anything. It could have been there for weeks."

"How do you know that Sarah was killed in the family room?"

"Read it in the paper, of course. I know you're trying to trap me, Nancy but it won't work."

"The details haven't been released yet."

Belle fumbled for an answer. "Oh, I meant Alisa told me."

"But Alisa stayed in the car when we were at the crime scene. And how is that you know that Sarah was _murdered_. I thought you just got into town today."

"I did, but Alisa told me everything. Someone- maybe Ned- must have told her. Honestly Nancy, Alisa told me all about your little detective thing, and I think it is ridiculous that you are trying to pin the blame on me."

"But out there, you were acting like you didn't know Alisa and I knew each other."

Belle was caught and she knew it. She lunged at Nancy and grabbed her, whipped out a pocket knife and held it to her throat. "So what if I killed Sarah? I'll kill you just the same." She dragged a struggling Nancy out the back door and around the front to Keith's car, doing the best she could not to be seen by the diners through the large window. She threw Nancy in the backseat and got out a gun, which she kept pointed at her with one hand while she drove with the other.

"Sarah's father was my ex-husband," Belle explained while she drove through the darkening streets of River Heights. "And Alisa's father. After he got remarried and had Sarah, it was always Sarah this, Sarah that. Alisa hated it. Whenever he visited her, he always made her feel like he didn't love her, that Sarah was superior to her. It just got worse and worse as they got older. Sarah had a steady boyfriend, better grades, an amazing softball player. And Alisa was just his other daughter that he had with a woman he didn't love anymore. Alisa was always so upset after his visits. I couldn't- I couldn't bear to see my baby that way anymore. So I talked to Alisa and we made a plan to kill Sarah and if he was home, her father, too. I showed up at their house, wanting to talk to Sam about something and Sarah let me in, made me a glass of water. When she was turning on something to watch, I went into the kitchen and grabbed the first knife I saw. I guess my sweater caught in the process. Then, I came up behind her and killed her. Just like that. All of Alisa's worries were over. What are you doing!" she screamed, seeing that Nancy had her hand moving around in her pocket.

"Nothing!" Nancy said, quickly pulling it out.

"Don't you try anything, brat. You're just as bad as Sarah was when she came with Sam. You trying anything, and you'll be dead just that much sooner. Not that you have much longer. We're here."

Here was a secluded spot on the outskirts of town. There were tons of trees as a great cover for whatever Belle was planning on doing and a cliff...the cliff! The thought stung Nancy. Belle was going to kill her and then push her body off the cliff! Seeing the look on Nancy's face, Belle laughed. "I guess you've figured out what I'm going to do. I found this place the other day, while I was laying low after killing Sarah. It's perfect for this."

"Belle, don't do this. You think you're making Alisa's life better, but what happens if you go to jail? If she goes to jail? It all would have only made her life worse."

"Don't play me, you little brat. You're just trying to save yourself. I've already made up my mind that you're going to die, and you're not going to change it. Don't worry, I'm sure Alisa will be able to console Ned after the tragic death of his girlfriend." And then Belle pulled the trigger.

**A/N:** More later!


End file.
